Garment drying and stretching frame



ApriHG, 1929. w. B. CLARK GARMENT DRYING AND STRETCHING FRAME Fi1e d April 192 INVENTOR ,zllg'gm/fi. Czar y mn Patented Apr. 16, 19?.9.

.UNl'lED STATES WILLIAM B. CLARK, OF SPRINGFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

GARMENT DRYING- AND STRETCHING FRAME.

Application filed. April 1,

This invention relates, generally, to garment drying and stretching frames; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel construction of frame upon which garments, such as childrens undershirts, may be stretched and supported after washing, so that while the same are dry ing they will be efficiently retained against shrinking and loss of shape.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a novelshirt stretching and drying frame which is of simple and comparatively inexpensive construction, and which comprises a novel combined arrangement of collapsible body and sleeve engaging mem bers adapted to facilitate the application of the frame to the garment. and whereby the 7 application and removal of the frame to or from the garment'may be quickly and easily accomplished without risk of injury to the latter. To this end the novel frame is made of comparatively heavy wire, and comprises a main or body frame member engageable with the body of the garment, and a pair of sleeve frames movably related to said main or body frame member so as to be capable of being collapsed within the boundaries of the latter when inserting the same into a shirt, and thereafter, by a simple manipulation, moved into operative outwardly extended relation to said main or body frame member for projection through the sleeves of said shirt, all as will be more fully set forth in the following detailed description of this invention.

, The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Z- Figure l is a face view of the novel drying and stretching frame shown, by full lines, in the initial collapsed condition in which it is inserted into the body of the shirt to be stretched and dried thereon, but also showing, by dotted lines, the manner in which the sleeve frames are brought into operative position within the sleeves of the shirt; Figure 2 is a similar view showing the frame in operative extended condition to support the shirt; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the extended frame, drawn on a reduced scale; and Figure 4 is a detail top edge view 7 showing the connection of a sleeve frame to the main or body frame member.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all the abovedescribed views to indicatecorresponding parts.

Referring nowto said drawings, the refer 1927. Serial No. 180,166.

once character 5 indicates the main or body frame member, the same being preferably made of galvanized iron wire of a gauge sufficiently heavy to provide adequate rigid ity thereto, Said main or body frame member 5 is substantially rectangular in shape, w iereby substantially vertical side members 6 are provided, between the upper extremities of which extend the substantially horizontal shoulder members 7, intermediate which, and centrally located, is an upward extending suspension loop 8. Each side member 6 is provided, in downwardly spaced relation to the uncture of its upper end with a shoulder member 7, with a forwardly offset abutment 9.

'The reference character 10 indicates the sleeve frame of the device, the same also be ing made of galvanized iron wire of a gauge sufiiciently eavy to provide requisite rigidity as to these members. Each sleeve frame is suitably shaped to provide a substantially rectangular member of suitable length, comprising, in integral connected relation, a. topbar 11, an outer end bar 12, a bottom-bar l3 and an inner end bar 14. The inner free end of the top-bar 11 is bent to form a transverse eye-portion 15 disposed to embrace a shoulder member of the main or body frame member 5, and in like manner, the upper extremity of the inner end bar 1% is bent to form a transverse eye-portion 16 which is disposed adjacent to said eyeportion 15, and which is also adapted to embrace the shoulder member of the main or body frame member 5. In this manner each sleeve frame is slidably connected with a corresponding shoulder member 7 of the main or body frame member 5, so as to be movable on the one hand, to an inactive inwardly thrust position within the limits of the side members 6 of the body frame member 5, but also movable, on the other hand, to an active outwardly drawn position so as to project exteriorly and laterally from the side members 6 of the body frame member 5, and in substantial alignment with the shoulder members 7 of the latter. That portion of the top-bar ll of each sleeve frame which is adjacent to the eye-portion 15 thereof is outwardly bowed to form a cross-over loop 17, so that, when the sleeve frame is drawn out to active exteriorly projecting position, said cross-over loop 17 will curve around the underlying portion of the adjacent side me ber 6- of "the body-frame member 5, tnus serving to bring the top bar 11 of the sleeve frame into substantial alignment with shoulder member 7 of the body frame mom upon the stretchingframe, the sleeve frames 10 are slid inwardly on the respective shoulder members 7 of the body frame member 5, until the eye-portions thereof are stopped by thesides of the'suspension loop 8, wiereupon said sleeve. frames will hang clownwardly within the limits of the side members 6. of the body frame member 5, thus freeing the latter from lateral projections, all as shownby the full lines in Figure 1 of the drawings. thus disposed, the body frame member 5 may be easily thrust upwardly into the body of the shirt 18, without risk of tearing or otherwise injuring the latter, so that the shoulder members 7 are brought beneath the shoulder portions of the garment, with the suspension loop 8 projecting exteriorly through the neck opening of the latter. When the body frame member 5 is thus. disposed within the garment interior, the user brings the free'ends of the sleeve frames 10 opposite the inner end of the garment sleeve opening, and thereupon thrusts the fingers through the outer end of the garment sleeve opening so as to grasp the free end of said sleeve frame, all as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings. Having thus grasped the sleeve frame with the fingers, the user thereupon draws the same outwardly through the garment sleeve, until said sleeve frame is operatively extended in lateral projection from the body frame member 5 in the supported connection with the latter already above described. It will be obvious, that the operation ofso extending the sleeve frames 10 through the garment sleeves requires but a simple and easily accomplished manipulation, and the operation does not unduly stretch or distort the garmentor involve, rislr of tearing or other injury thereto. The tendency of the garment to cling to the frame will serve to maintain against accidental displacement the engagement of the sleeve frames with the abut-- ments 9 of the body frame member 5, so that the garment body and its sleeve portions will be disposed in positions best calculated to maintain the shape thereof while drying, and at the same time the support offered by the'spread frame resists any tendency of the When the frame parts are drying garment to shrink. When the garment is disposed on the frame in the manner described, the same may be suspended subject to drying by connecting the loop 8 of the frame with any suitable support, such, e.

. as a hook 19, as indicated in the drawings.

lit will be obvious that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of. the same wi hout departing. from the scope of this invention as described in the foregoing specification, and as de fined. in the appended claims. Ham l do not limit my invention to'the exact arrangements and combinations of the devices and parts as set forth inthe foregoing specification, nor do If confine myself to-the exact details of the construction of said parts-as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 claim 1. A, garment drying and stretching frame, comprising a substantially rectangular body frame member made of wire, the'upper side of which is formed to provide shoulder members with an intermediate upwardly projecting suspension loop, sleeve frames also made of wire, said sleeve frames having at their upper inner corners means for both slidably and pivotally connecting the same to said shoulder members whereby they may be slid inwardlyand swung downwardly toits upper end an upwardly projecting sus pension loop intermediate its sides, sleeve frames also made of wire, said sleeve frames having at their upper inner'corners means for both slidably and pivotally connecting the'same to said shoulder'members whereby they may be slid inwardly and swung'downwardly to be selectively disposed within the limits of said body framemember or swung upwardly and slid outwardly to'extended projection from the sides'thereof, the side members of said body frame member being bent toprovide ofi-setabutments to engage and support said sleeve frames when the latte are disposed in outwardly slid and upwardly swung active projected position.

3. A garment. drying and stretching frame, comprising a substantially rectangular body frame member madeof wire, the upper side of which is formed to provide shoulder mem:

here with an intermediate upwardly projec in suspension loop, sleeve frames also made of Wire bent into substantially rectangular shape Withthe ends meeting at the upper inner corners of the formation, said ends having eye-portions for slidably engaging the sleeve frames respectively on the respective shoulder members of said body frame member, and the side members of said body frame member being bent to provide off-set abutments to engage said sleeve frames when the same are moved into lateral exteriorly projecting relation to said body frame member.

l A garment drying comprising a substantially rectangular bod frame member made of Wire the upper side of which is formed to provide shoulder members with an intermediate upwardly projecting suspension loop, sleeve frames also made of Wire bent into substantially rectangular shape with the ends meeting at and stretching frame,

the upper inner corners of the formation, said ends having eye-portions for slidably engaging the sleeve frames respectively on the respective shoulder members of said body frame member the side members of said body frame member being bent to provide off-set abutments to engage said sleeve frames when the same are moved into lateral exteriorly projecting relation to said body frame member, and the top bar of each sleeve frame having adjacent to the eye-pertion thereof an outwardly bowed cross-over loop to straddle the upper part of the adjaent side member of said body frame member when saio sleeve frames are in said ere teriorly projecting position.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above 1 have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of March, 1927.

YVILLIAM B. CLARK. 

